As the speed boat skims over the choppy sea, galloping over the water from Kota Kinabalu to Gaya Island, a mere 15-minute boat ride, a Borneo adventure awaits.

For a land protected by the cosmic spirit of the Blue Dragon, this is a developing country and a booming destination in Asia.

Photo journalist Alice Nower captured her journey around North Vietnam from its heady metropolis of Hanoi to the paddy fields that carpet the landscape of Sapa further north.

Hanoi, located in the Red River Delta, is Vietnam's cultural heart and soul and it is the cap

Stretching from The Black Sea to the Caucasus Mountains and lying on the cusp of Christian Europe and Islamic Asia, Georgia is an enchanting mix of old and new, with a pretty landscape that combines mountains and a pretty coastline.

In the space of just a few days you can ski in the mountains, swim in the Black Sea and embrace an amazing culture in the churches, castles and cave-towns, enjoying

Ever since I had a close encounter with tigers on a safari in India, I have been smitten with these magnificent creatures. Sadly they are becoming an endangered species.

Looking out from the privacy of our villa terrace at Coco Palm Bodu Hithi, the view is almost exclusively sun, near cloudless sky and sea, punctuated on rare occasion by a fellow guest snorkelling in the lagoon. Other than the waves of the Indian Ocean lapping against the stilts on which our secluded villa stands, barely a sound intrudes.

There is nothing like a train, as the old song nearly had it. Just how true that is I am about to learn. Cruise ship old hands will know the joy of not having to pack and unpack for a multi-centre holiday. Now the last word in luxury travel in India, the Maharajas' Express has launched itself as a palatial hotel on wheels and my home for a glorious week.

Idyllic but flawed would fairly sum up Goa’s reputation. On the one hand reliably perfect, warm weather when the rest of the northern hemisphere is in deep winter; on the other, a haven for crazy hedonists and party animals.

One effect of Istanbul’s stint as European Capital of Culture 2010 will be an opportunity to showcase its shiny modern face. The city, best known for ancient Byzantine and Ottoman splendours, is actually a hip, thrusting metropolis with great designer shopping and a burgeoning contemporary art scene. But with a famous historic skyline dominated by domes, minarets and fortified Ottoman palaces, 21st century Istanbul remains largely unknown.

Very good price, very good price said the bright-eyed boy in the yellow T-shirt, who might have been an extra from multi-Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire. He poked his head through the car window and spoke quickly, offering Lord Shiva statuettes that dangled around his neck, arms and even from his finger tips.

How far would you go for a bath? A Turkish bath, that is. If you’re John Travolta, the answer is pretty far. The Hollywood A-lister flew all the way to Istanbul for the opportunity of a shvitz in the Galatasaray Hamam, the city’s oldest Turkish bath, dating from 1481.